Adaptable terminal contact for safety-fuses.



V. F. MORGAN. ADAPTABLE TERMINAL CONTACT FOR SAFETY FUSES.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 7, 1906.

Fig. 1

Patented Aug. 10, 1.909.

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\ Specffication of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 10, led-e.

Application filed infarct. 7, 1906. serial it). teases.

To all whom it may concern: v

Be it known that I, Vrc'roa F. Moe-can, a citizen of the United States,and resident of Hartford; in the county of Hartford and State ofConnecticut, have invented certain I newand useful Improvements in-Adaptable Terminal Contacts for Safety Fuses, of p which the followingis a full, clear, and exact v with fuse terminalscomrnonl-y cail'eferrules.

specification.

This inventionrelates to terminal contacts for electrical devices, and.is particularly adapted for use in connection with Standard inclosedsafety fuses, the object being to provide simple and effective means torconnect in such fuses to circuit terminals laced. at di 'ering distancesapart. These incl'ose'd safety fuses consist of a fusible conductor,in--

cased in a suitable inciosing' tube, r'o vid'ed at their ends. The fuseterniinals are con" nected with, or form 'electric'al extensions of thefusible conductors, and are fixed at the ends of the fuse. They usuallyhave flat slotted contact porti'o'ns which enga e with fixed circuitcontacts to which the an s of the circuit wires are electricallyconnected. According'to present methods these fuse terminals are clampedto the fixed circuit contacts by shrews passing through the slots, andit is therefore necessary to have the fuses specially constructed to fitVarying arrangements'and spacings of the fixed circuitterminalc'onta'cts. For example, one of these fuses having terminalsto.fit contacts four inches apart cannot be used in contacts only threeinches apart. Hence it has been found necessary in the past to make alarge number of fuses,

varying in lengthwise dimensions; to adapt them for use on the differentfittings in (301m A mon use, which vary greatly in their center distance0.

This is particularl the case Where panel boards or cut-outs have beenforthe clamping screws of the circuit contacts have already beenestablished. This is accomplished in this invention by fitting the fuse\Vith fiise terminal contacts which are adjustable lengthwise on thefuse itself.

Figure 1 is a lan view of a standard ferrule contact inc o's'ed fuse;shown in connection Withni-y improvedterminal contacts. Fig. 2 is a sideview projected from Fig. 1'. Fig. 3 is an end view projected from Fig.-2. Fig; 4 is a side view of a modified form of the invention, one of theterminal contacts being shown incross section. Fig. 5 is an end viewprojected from Fig. 4. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1', the fuse tube.6, having the ferrule-like fuseter minals 7 and 8, is shown inconnectibnwi th my improye'd terminal contacts 9 and 10. Thebas'eportiohs of these contacts are provided With the slots 11 and 12,for receiving I the screws 13 and 14. The-slot 11 is herein shown to bedisposed crossvvise of the con 'tact,.yvhi le the slot 12 is disposedlongitudinally at its contact, these being details Which may be variedto any desired extent. It will be understood that the screws 13 and 14tap into the circuit contact binding posts br other membersto which theends of the circuit Wires are attached or connected. The body portions17 and 18' of the terminal contacts 9 and are made to embrace the fuseterminals 7 and'8, and can be moved longitudinally thereon; and the bodyportions 17 and 18 of the terminal contacts are clamped and fixed toplace upon the fuse terminals by means of the screws 20, either beforeor after the terminal contacts have been located in position on thecircuit contacts.

In the rnbdification shown in Figs. d and 5' p the fuse terminals and 26are provided with screw'threads which fit the body pertions 27 and 28 ofthe terminal contacts '30 and 31. The base portions 82 and 33 are or maybe similar to the corresponding portions 9 and '10 of the precedingfigures, and obviously these base portions maybe flattened as hereinshown, or may be curved, or in any other Way adapted to conform toandclamp upon their associated supports. The contacts 30 and 31 are herelnshown as'being adapted to be made from sheet metah the extension beincupped or struck-up by dies from the flat s eet of metal from which theterminal contact is made. The body portions 27 and 28 of the terminalcontacts are tapped to receive thescrew threads of the fuse-terminals25, and those screw threads may be both of the same hand, or one may beleft-handed and the other right-handed. In the latter case the contactsmay be ad- 1' justed to their proper distance apart by merelyturning thefuse upon its axis. But

where the screw threads are for the same hand it will generally benecessary to adjust each of the terminal contacts separately.

As shown in Fig. 1, it is evident that the center to center distance 0between ,the screws 13 and 14 may by this invention be varied to aconsiderable extent in both directions. In other words, the screws maybe much nearer togetheror much farther apart than is shown in Fig. 1,while still contacting perfectly with the fuse terminals 7 and 8. On theother hand, with the center distance 0 fixed, the terminalcontacts Qand10 will accommodate either a fuse which is considerably longer, or onewhich is considerably shorter, than the fuse 6. The same is true of themodification shown in Figs. 4 and 5.,

In cases where it is not necessary to have the holding down screws inline with the longitudinal center of thefuse, as shown in Fig. 1, I mayextend the bases 9 or 10. at one side or the other of the fuse, therebybringing the holding screws outside of the body of the fuse andmakingthem more readily accessible at allof the possible adjusted positions ofthe parts. Obviously, the shape of the base, the

. position of the screws, and other details of construction andarrangement may be varied in many ways to suit differentenvironments anddifferent conditions of service.

It will be understoodlthat the great range of adjustment afforded bythis invention base area which it requires.

either with round holesfor the screws or,

where it is desirable tobe able to remove the terminal contacts withoutentirely remov mg the screws, by making very short open March, 1906.

ended slots, which slots, however, need not. extend in a directionlongitudinally of the tube; since, according to the present invention,they are not required-for affording longitudinal adjustment; but whenused are employed only for convenience in applying board or slab.

I claim as my invention 1. An adjustableterminal inclosed fuse having incombination .a tube of insulating material, ferrules on the ends of thetube, and terminal contacts provided with contac arms for engaging theferrules, the width of said arms being less than the length of saidferrules to permit adjustment of the contacts within the lengths of thesaid ferrules.

An adjustable terminal inclosed fuse having in combination a tube ofinsulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube, terminal contactsprovided with contact arms for engaging the ferrules, the width of saidarms being less than the length of said ferrules to permit adjustment ofthe contacts within the lengths of the said ferrules,

and means for securing the said arms in their adjusted position.

An ad ustable terminal mclosed fuse having in combination a tube ofinsulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube, and terminalcontacts provided with contact arms having a threaded engagement withthe ferrules.

4. An adjustable terminal inclosed fuse having in combination a .tube ofinsulating material, ferrules on the ends of the tube them to andremoving them from t 1e base having their exterior surfacescrew-threaded, and terminal contacts provided with contact arms fittingthe threads of said fer-- rules, the ,width of said arms being less thanthe length of said ferrules to permit adjust;-

ment of the contact arms within the length ofthe ferrules.

. in testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification inthe presence of.

two subscribing witnesses, this ,5th day of VICTOR nfMonoAN;

V'Vitnesses:

CATHERINE M. Homes, WM. H. Honrss.

